Prospect of the Week: October 9, 2012

This week we continue our Prospect of the Week award, an honor (virtually) given to one Tampa Bay Lightning prospect for their recent contributions on and off the ice.

The envelope, please.

The Prospect of the Week for October 9 is … Cedric Paquette, Center, Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL – Canada).

Sorry, Andrei Vasilevski, you can’t win every week.

Despite Alex Killorn’s hat trick in Syracuse’s final preseason game, this week’s award goes to 2012 fourth round draft pick Cedric Paquette. Vasilevski had won the first two weekly awards this season.

A 6-foot, 200-pound center, Paquette had two goals and three assists this week as the Armada went 3-1, including an upset win over the CHL’s top-ranked team, Quebec.

Last Wednesday, Paquette was named second star for scoring a goal and assisting on the game-winning tally in a 2-1 win over Drummondville. On Friday, he was second star again, this time for notching a goal and an assist in a 6-2 win over PEI. He was also plus-3 and won 15 of 23 faceoffs against the Rocket (soon to be Islanders).

The Armada lost to the Olympiques on Saturday, 2-1, and while Paquette didn’t score, he led the team in hits with three and won 11 of 18 faceoffs. During Sunday’s 4-2 upset win over the Remparts, Paquette took nearly 50 percent of all draws for Blainville-Boisbriand, showing his value to the club. He also earned an assist in the win.

Paquette projects as a goal-scoring center with solid two-way ability. He was passed over in the 2011 draft before being taken this past summer. He is eligible to play in the AHL or ECHL next year if he is signed.